They All Lived Story 9: Foreign Affairs
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: Edward, Winry, Roy, Riza, and their families head to the capitol of Creta for a little diplomatic mission/vacation. However, things get complicated in a way no one would have predicted!


March 5th, 1931

"Well, that's it for a month!" Edward grinned as he hit the showers attached to the Central HQ military gymnasium. He and Alphonse had just finished another training session with some of their students; this time one of the smaller groups of newer State Alchemists who were getting further instruction in using alchemy in combative situations. He turned on the water and sighed contentedly as the steaming liquid streamed over hard-worked muscles.

"Lucky you," Alphonse laughed from the other side of the wall that separated shower stalls. "Think you can survive a couple of weeks of playing diplomat?"

"No sweat," Ed chuckled as he grabbed the soap. As usual, they were the last back to the showers, and given it was the end of a week the place was nearly deserted. If nothing else, they had the shower room to themselves. "Given where we're going, it's more likely to feel like a vacation!" Even going with Mustang, he was looking forward to this trip to Creta; it helped that the invitation was one of peace to an allied nation, and involved both families. He knew Winry was looking forward to talking business as well as seeing all the sites that Creta had to offer, and that Sara was just looking forward to going on another trip to someplace new! Aldon, being only six months old, didn't seem to have much to say either way on the subject.

"Hopefully," Al agreed, speaking over the sounds of rushing water. "You're not leaving for a couple of days though right?"

"Right," Ed confirmed. "Though we've got to finish packing, and there are a couple of things I should probably get taken care of before I leave." He smirked. "I'll just leave them on your desk instead. You won't mind right?"

"Thanks, Brother," Al's reply dripped with sarcasm. "I really appreciate it. I wasn't sure what I would do to keep busy for a month without you around."

"I know. I'm just so caring that way," Ed replied. He was definitely in a good mood, despite the fact he felt ready for a little time doing something different. Balancing a full work schedule – as crazy as the kind he and Al usually kept – and a family of four was quite a trick sometimes. He hadn't figured adding one more child to the mix would be much more complicated than when Sara had come into their lives; not when they at least had some idea this time of what to expect with a newborn. He had severely underestimated the sheer amount of time and energy two kids – even well behaved ones – could take! "And I'm glad you don't mind making sure everything's covered while I'm gone." He actually felt guilty leaving so much for Al to do.

"Don't worry about it," Al said. "With me and Armstrong we can easily cover the classes with the new State Alchemists. This is the ideal time for you to be going really, since the new class isn't going to start up till you get back."

That was the only reason Ed didn't feel guiltier about going. After running the pre-exam alchemist program for several years, and tackling more advanced training for new State Alchemists who passed the exam, they had tightened up the curriculum and things enough so that they could afford to start the next class a little later after the exams without putting them behind. "Hopefully by then I'll be able to jump in with both feet," he smiled, hoping that his enthusiasm would be matched by reality.

"You have another appointment with Doc Stevenson?" Al asked. It was actually, Ed realized, the first time in a couple of months Al had brought up the topic himself.

"Yeah," Ed replied as he rinsed out his hair. "Just routine at this point, but he won't leave off until 'he' decides I'm good to go." Six months, when the initial treatment plan had been for two. Actually, Ed was a lot better; the ulcer that had plagued him seemed to have healed up completely. Or so Stevenson confirmed, and Ed had surmised from the fact he could eat without suffering for it later. Still, if he wanted to avoid a reoccurrence that still meant a little caution and common sense when it came to food.

"What's he so concerned about?" Al asked, and Ed heard the water turn off on the other side of the wall. "If you don't mind my asking?"

"Mind? You're my brother. From you, I expect it," Ed said. "Nah. He's still harping on the same thing he has for the past four months." He finished his own shower and turned off the water. Grabbing a towel he dried himself; then wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the stall.

Al was already half dressed. He looked up at Ed as he joined him, giving his brother a cursory glance. "You do still look kind of underfed," he shrugged.

Ed rolled his eyes. "I see the irony is not lost on you." Avoiding foods that were more irritating to the stomach made it difficult to put 'on' weight; a problem he was beginning to feel was perhaps even more annoying than anyone around him seemed to realize. It was definitely frustrating!

"It's been long enough," Al said. "Maybe Stevenson will decide the restrictions aren't necessary anymore."

"Ever the optimist," Ed sighed, chuckling afterwards. "I can hope anyway." He turned his back and started getting dressed. "I'd hate to miss out on some Cretan delicacy because Stevenson's feeling sadistic."

"You know he's not really like that," Al replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed shrugged. He knew that, but it made him feel better to gripe about it, given there was nothing else he could really do besides follow orders; something he had actually been doing – for once – for the past several months! "I guess I'll just have to go find out."

The appointment with Stevenson wasn't nearly as miserable as Ed was prepared for; really, they almost never were. Much as Ed hated doctors, at least Stevenson was one he could deal with; straightforward and unlikely to even suggest anything that wasn't necessary or common sense. He didn't treat his patients like idiots either.

"Not bad," Stevenson commented, looking at the most recent charts. "Not at all."

"That's all you've got to say?" Ed asked, incredulous. "Months of suffering for a 'not bad?'"

"I see your sense of melodrama is as healthy as ever," Stevenson commented drolly, setting the pad down on his lap. "I don't have anything much to say you haven't probably already figured out on your own at this point. You look just fine, save for those few pounds you're still down."

"So…. What does that mean exactly?" Ed asked. He didn't want to assume anything, though he desperately hoped that meant he wasn't going to have to keep this up for another month, or longer.

Stevenson smiled. "It means you're clear and good for this little diplomatic mission you're going on."

Clear and good…. "No more restrictions?" Ed really wanted to be clear on that!

He tried not to sound too eager, but he suspected he failed miserably.

Stevenson chuckled. "Nothing will hurt in moderation," he replied. "You're good. In fact, if you don't come back up a couple of pounds after this trip, I'll be extremely disappointed."

Ed laughed. Well that was definitely the best news he'd had in a while! "Hey, Doc, can I get that in writing?" If he didn't, no one would ever believe it!

"We're going on vacation, Winry, not moving," Ed chuckled as he stood in the doorway of their bedroom. Everything in Winry's closet was spread out over the bed, and she was standing over it, hands on her hips, staring at the pile with a look of dissatisfaction. "What's the problem?"

Winry sighed and looked up at him. "I have no idea what to take for this. Or rather, I don't think I have enough that's appropriate. I only have a couple of nice dresses that fit right while I'm still feeding Aldon. I have other professional clothes in general that work fine of course, but I don't think I'm going to need a lot of those on this trip."

Ed walked over to the bed, approaching from the side opposite of which she stood, and then came around the bed; putting his hands on her hips as he came around behind her, looking at the pile from the same angle she was. There was a small pile at one end that seemed to be the 'approved' pile. She was right; for a month as visiting dignitaries it wasn't nearly enough. "Not a problem," he grinned, kissing her neck. "We're going to be visiting the capital of Creta right? I'm sure you and Calla and Riza will have plenty of opportunities to shop the finest stores they have to offer right?" The President's wife surely knew where to go shopping!

Winry turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Are you 'telling' me to go on a shopping spree, Edward?"

Ed laughed, eyes twinkling. "Why not? We can afford it, and you always look so good in the things you pick out…"

"Oh I see," Winry chuckled. "That really would solve my dilemma though." She turned around in his arms, hips sliding underneath his hands as she moved, and kissed him. "Thank you," she smiled as her arms went around his neck.

"You're welcome," Ed smiled. "Just make sure to leave plenty of space in your bags! I don't want to have to try and lug too much home!"

"But you make such a wonderful pack animal," Winry laughed. "I already finished packing everything for Sara and Aldon," she said, shifting the subject slightly. "Sara wasn't thrilled when I packed dresses," she added. No surprise there; as cute as she looked in them, Ed knew his daughter preferred to wear clothes she wouldn't get yelled at for playing in. She hadn't been to anything formal before, so this would definitely be an interesting experience!

"She'll survive," he replied. "At least Aldon's not old enough to complain about what you put him in!"

"Like the rest of my family," Winry rolled her eyes and gave Ed a knowing look. "I suppose I should be grateful that your time on the other side of the Gate gave you more of a sense of taste."

"What?" Ed pretended not to know what she meant. "Don't tell me I can't spend the entire month in black!"

"Infuriating," Winry tried to glare, then broke out in chuckles. "That's what you are. You know very well what I mean."

Ed did. He had gotten used to wearing generally more formal clothes living in Europe, given the differences in styles; more 'adult' looks if nothing else. While he still griped about uniforms and really fitted formal suits, he felt comfortable in well fitting slacks and a collared shirt, button down or no. The only part of his old 'uniform' he would never give up was the coat. He would continue to have a red coat with the Crest of Flammel – no matter how many times he had to have it replaced – for as long as he lived. "I do," he smiled. "Do I have to pack myself?"

"No, I took care of that too," Winry shrugged and stepped away from him to turn back to the pile of clothes on the bed. "I pulled out everything I think you'll need and everything is clean. You can take a look and see if you agree with what's there," she pointed to the suitcase already sitting by the doorway. Ed had missed it on his way in.

"I love you," Ed smiled, though he didn't move towards the suitcase immediately. He trusted that Winry had packed everything really important. If not, they weren't leaving for a couple of days anyway.

"Well I knew that," Winry grinned then turned back to sorting clothes, this time putting things away. "I love you, too. Don't forget to make sure your auto-mail is properly cleaned before we get there okay? Does it need any maintenance before we leave?"

Ed sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's fine. Just don't expect me to turn into your personal auto-mail model okay?"

Winry turned from the closet and gave him a playful pout. "But you're perfect for it! Those are my best designs, Ed! Please?"

Big blue eyes blinked pleadingly; ah hell. "All right," Ed sighed, smiling despite himself. "But only the arm!"

"Oh don't worry," Winry winked at him. "I prefer to keep the rest of you to myself!"

"Good," Ed smirked. He had the feeling this was going to be a very interesting trip!

March 7th, 1931

Traveling with the Mustangs turned out to be an interesting experience. Maes was big enough to find the whole trip interesting even if he didn't completely understand it. Sara was kept easily entertained by the young boy and looking out the windows at the passing scenery. Winry and Riza spent hours chatting and Aldon most of his time with his mother, naturally. He still napped a lot. That left Edward and Roy to amuse themselves. To pass the time, they played cards. It turned out Roy was a pretty good card shark. Fortunately, Ed's skills had also improved over the years. He didn't neat to cheat Roy to beat him! They came out about even in the end and playing meant that conversation was kept to a comfortable minimum.

Something else Ed was glad for; Roy had managed to get minimal security on the trip. After all, who was going to do a better job of protecting the Flame Alchemist and the Fullmetal Alchemist and their families than the two men themselves and Riza, who still always had a sidearm somewhere on her person a lot of the time? It was a small detail, but there were a few folks. It made it amusing, Ed thought, to watch them try and keep an eye on Sara when she wanted to go up and see the engine, or go down to the dining car.

The private cabins were nice though! Ed certainly wasn't complaining about traveling first class!

March 12th, 1931

It took five days to reach the capital of Creta. Not bad really, though by the end everyone was ready to get off and really stretch their legs!

"Roy! Edward!" Elias Argyros, the Cretan President, smiled as they departed the train. He was there with his wife, Calla, and their two sons; Arius and Ziro, ages seven and four. Other than another security detail, it seemed that their arrival late in the evening was meant to be as quiet as possible.

"It's good to see you again, Elias," Roy Mustang smiled as the two men shook hands. "Our thanks again for this lovely invitation."

"Thank you for accepting," Elias chuckled. "I hope you will find your visit to Creta most enjoyable. We are known," he grinned broadly, "for our hospitality as well as our culture after all."

The rest of the introductions and basic pleasantries were done quickly. Elias was delighted to finally meet Winry in person and they quickly made plans to discuss the auto-mail industry in some detail later! Then they all got into the car the president had provided, and were whisked to his house.

House was a bit of an understatement. The palatial mansion that was the home of the President of Creta made Roy's and Edward's rather nicely sized houses look like little town homes. "My family's traditional estates," Elias explained as they walked past fluted columns, fine artwork, and long wood paneled walls, and still others with old mosaics. "Please make yourselves welcome while you are here. And don't worry," he grinned. "Nothing priceless is within the reach of anyone under the age of ten."

"Or in Ed's case, thirty two," Roy teased, and everyone chuckled except Ed, who quietly plotted alchemical things he could do to Roy's under shorts in retaliation, should the opportunity present itself!

When they were settled in their rooms, and the children tucked into bed, the adults gathered in what was one of many sitting rooms in the building, but this one was apparently the one most commonly frequented by Elias and his family. The furniture was a little more worn, a little more modern, and showed signs of rambunctious children.

A man in serving uniform came in and took orders for drinks, then left again. Within minutes he was back with another man and they had everyone's requested beverage.

"Beers as promised," Elias grinned at Ed, and Edward chuckled, remembering their first conversation. "Though I am afraid the rest of the country would riot if we did not have an official state function while you are here as well."

"We came prepared for that," Ed chuckled as he took a drink and relaxed in a very comfortable chair. It was a vast improvement over even comfortable train travel! "This is excellent," he complimented the beverage.

"A local vintage," Elias smiled. "We have several. I hope you'll enjoy tasting them."

"We are going to talk on the terrace about 'other' things," Calla commented politely to the men as she, Winry, and Riza headed out.

"Behave," Winry spoke softly into Ed's ear before leaving. What did she think he was going to do sitting here anyway, cause an international incident?

When the ladies had gone, Elias sighed and sipped his drink. "Truly, I am glad you both came. Things have been a little restless lately, I must admit. A little solidarity between nations will do much to reassure my people that times of peace have come for certain and that our economy will be improved by this alliance."

"Have Winry talk your engineers' ears off or a while, they'll be convinced," Ed chuckled.

"I am sure," Elias replied. "Still, this dinner next week is very important. A lot of the old money in this country comes from noble families, like mine. Not all of them appreciate a government that limits their control over how things are run."

"So we'll do you a favor by demonstrating what this government has brought to your country," Roy nodded. "A show of foreign good will, but with faces and names to put it to instead of just a country; that's very clever."

"I am glad you think so," Elias replied, obviously relaxing a little. The situation was apparently more tenuous than he wanted to admit right off. Ed didn't want to press him on it.

Roy however, seemed intrigued. "Is there anything we should be aware of, politically speaking, that might be a danger?"

Elias shook his head emphatically. "No, no! Rest assured that things are quiet, despite the tensions. I would not have invited your families otherwise!"

The talk continued, drifting from politics to drinks to art and so on, until the hour grew late. Eventually, everyone headed for bed.

Ed found Winry already curled up in the large bed in the room they were using during their stay. It was such a well appointed room though, that Ed felt more like they were staying in a master suite than one of the 'general guest rooms!' The frescos were old artwork, and the drapes and bed cover all of rich deep burgundy fabrics, most embroidered or brocaded.

Winry stirred and smiled when he curled up and put his arms around her. "Enjoy yourself?" she asked drowsily.

"I did," Ed chuckled. "Did you?"

"Very much," she didn't bother opening her eyes. "Calla promised we'd all go shopping tomorrow. She wants to show Riza and I around the city."

"Sounds fun," Ed chuckled, though they both knew he didn't mean it. Ed disliked trying on clothes. "As long as I'm not going," he added a couple of seconds later.

March 16th, 1931

Ed and the other men were not required, fortunately, to go shopping! Winry had been happy to let Ed wear his best suit to the coming dinner, but she had eagerly gone off with the other two wives for what turned into several days of shopping!

Meanwhile, Roy and Ed split their time with Elias visiting government buildings, and ancient historical landmarks. Often, the two groups went together. For the things they thought the children would enjoy, they brought them along. For things that would have bored the children, they stayed at the house, watched over by two very capable women that were kept in the employ of the Argyros family for just that purpose!

The city, like the countryside they had passed through to get there, was beautiful! And the people were as friendly as any city folk Ed had ever met.

The evening of the big dinner though, Ed found himself surprised at a case of nervous butterflies. Well, he rationalized, this was a little different from sight-seeing. Tonight they were going to be on display; for many people they would be the first Amestrians they had gotten a chance to talk to. He wanted to make sure he didn't blow this, and he realized he really had no idea if pleasantries were any different in Creta; they didn't seem to be, but then, he hadn't been here all that long.

"You look dashing," Winry chuckled as she straightened his tie. "I should keep an eye on you tonight if I don't want to worry about someone trying to walk off with you."

"That would be difficult," Ed laughed. "You look fantastic." And she did. The dress she wore was a deep periwinkle blue in a very fashionable style that Ed had seen in Amestris on a few women, but was also apparently popular in Creta. He didn't ask what she had paid for it. Given how she looked, it was worth it!

Winry blushed and took his arm. "Then we make a good pair," she said. "Relax. Tonight is going to be fun. You'll see."

As seemed to happen an awful lot, Winry was right. The State Dinner was held in an ancient Cretan palace in the heart of the city, in the grand ballroom. The architecture and original artworks still in the place were the primary decoration, enhanced only by skillfully placed lighting. The music was delightful, the food extremely satisfying, the wine of the finest quality, and Ed's dancing partner definitely the most beautiful woman there!

He had been a little unsure at first when Elias had said that their families should join them early on, but he understood why when he saw that Elias had included his own children. Many of the noble families had brought theirs as well; their heirs, he thought. A lot of the political thought in the country was still apparently about bloodline. The children didn't stay the whole time; at least, when it grew later, Sara, Aldon, and Maes retired to bed with Calla and Elias' boys. Ed noticed that the younger children of others went home as well, though the older stayed, as they often did in Amestris.

And indeed, the conversations with those members of the government who were old blood were interesting! Ed had gotten pretty good at small talk, but they wanted to discuss everything from international commerce to Amestrian music, to knowing as much about Ed as he was willing to verify. Some of the conversations were more like interviews, or interrogations!

But other conversations were much more pleasant.

"Excuse me, General Elric?" A soft alto female voice spoke from behind him as Ed was contemplating the wine selection a little later. Winry had gotten caught up in auto-mail conversation –as he had expected- and he was by himself for a little bit. He turned and found himself looking at a very attractive woman about his age, perhaps a couple of years older. She was wearing a dark green dress and had thick dark hair that fell in loose ringlets. She was no Lust, but definitely attractive!

"Yes, ma'am?" Ed asked simply, prepared for yet another discussion.

She chuckled pleasantly. "I am Maron Daquel, Countess of Marcand. It is a pleasure to meet you." She certainly had the bearing to be a countess, Ed couldn't help thinking.

"Edward Elric," he introduced himself more properly. "Is there something I can do for you, Countess?"

"Maron, please," she smiled, picking up a glass of wine herself. "If you haven't tried the Chardonnay, you should. It comes from my estates."

"I will have to take your recommendation then," Ed laughed, his difficult decision made. "You've saved me several more seconds of indecisiveness." He joked as he picked his beverage, and the man behind the table poured him a glass as well.

Maron's chuckle was slightly musical. "Then my evening is complete, for being able to aide in such a difficult decision." She was teasing, but very easy to talk to. Ed relaxed. This wasn't likely to be an interrogation like the last conversation. "Though I admit my reasons for coming over were my own curiosity to meet the man they call the Fullmetal Alchemist. Stories of you make you out as nearly a legend. In Creta, we are very fond of legends." She gestured to the mosaics and carvings on the walls of the room around them to make the point.

"I hope the reality doesn't fall short of your expectations," Ed smiled, sipping the wine and being polite. "You're right. This is delicious." Her candor was rather refreshing after so much political talk this evening!

"I did say so," Maron replied smiling. "We do try. I hope you will be willing to indulge me in a little pleasant conversation. I know almost everyone here, and these parties do grow dull."

"I don't mind at all," Ed assured her. "Though it is getting a little warm in here." The room was large, but with so many people, it was definitely heating up.

"Then let me show you the formal gardens," Maron said as they walked towards the large doors where several people were wandering in and out of the gardens in question, which were open for the occasion.

They talked for nearly an hour; Ed losing track of time. Maron told several very amusing stories, and answered his questions about Creta as she mentioned places, people, or terms he didn't know. Occasionally they had to try and come up with translation on the spot for some of the more abstract concepts out of the old Cretan language.

Ed wasn't sure what happened. One minute, he was walking near a very large fountain full of fish, talking about cuisine, then as he finished his wine he felt suddenly dizzy, and everything went black.

His head hurt, and his thoughts were fuzzy. What happened? Ed forced his way towards consciousness. It took everything he had to stay focused long enough to climb out of the dark depths into groggy wakefulness. His eyes cracked open, and he didn't recognize where he was, but he knew he was bound and lying on a carpeted floor. As his eyes focused, he saw a painting above him that he actually knew – a representation of the boy who flew too close to the sun with wax wings – he knew it well actually! Whether it was the original or a reproduction he couldn't have said. His vision was blurry.

"He's waking up!" he heard someone squeak in a nervous whisper.

"Not for long," another voice said, and Ed felt a sudden pain in the side of his head before he blacked out again.

The cold stone on his face brought him around eventually. Head aching, Ed opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on the ground near the same fountain he had been walking next to with …Maron. He couldn't remember anything else except that they had been out there, talking, and then nothing until he awoke. It took his brain a moment to even remember her name. He looked around, seeing no one immediately, save a couple of people far off in the distance. From the color of the sky, he could tell it was much later than it had been when last he looked. He pulled his pocket watch out and flipped it open. Three in the morning? He'd been out for nearly five hours! Scrambling to his feet, Ed straightened his suit, hoped he still looked presentable, and wondered where Maron had gone too. Well, what did it matter now? Winry was going to be pissed at him for vanishing for that long!

He hurried back towards the doors. Despite the late hour, there were still people mingling and talking. He looked around, suddenly feeling the desperate urge to make sure Winry, and the rest of the Amestrian delegation, were all right. He didn't see Roy, or Riza, and started to panic. What had happened to everyone?

"There you are!" Suddenly Winry was there at his side, looking worried and very exasperated. "Where have you been, Ed?"

Ed flushed slightly. "I got caught up in conversation," he smiled weakly. It was the truth! He didn't want to mention passing out. Perhaps that particular wine was stronger than he had realized. That would be far too embarrassing! "I'm sorry."

Winry rolled her eyes and took his arm. "You would. Roy and Riza went home with Calla an hour ago. Are you ready to go? I'm beat."

Ed nodded. That sounded like a very good idea. "Yeah. I'm ready."

March 17th, 1931

Ed was still groggy the next morning. He dragged himself out of bed, yawning, to find that Winry had already gotten up, and that Sara and Aldon weren't in the next room. He must have really slept in!

He brushed and braided his hair, then pulled on clothes before going down to the breakfast room down the hall. It was a light, airy, elegantly appointed room in sunny yellow and white that he found cheerful.

He was unsurprised to find Roy, Riza, and Winry already there, with all three of the children wide awake and active in the next room. Breakfast appeared to be over, though there was some left on the serving plates in the middle of the table. The adults were mostly sipping coffee; Roy was actually reading over the local newspaper, though he looked up when Ed entered.

"Our sleeping beauty awakes," he commented sarcastically.

It was then that Ed noticed that he was getting some very strange looks. Roy was frowning – okay that wasn't strange – but Riza looked cross as well, and Winry downright furious. "Ummm…did I miss something?" Ed asked.

"Just the headline," Roy replied, holding up the paper. The headline took him a moment to absorb. "Scandal Rocks the Capital" and the second line "Countess Coerced by Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"What the hell?!" Ed's mind came fully awake in an instant as he stared at the paper.

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," Roy commented flatly.

"You don't believe this?" Ed exclaimed looking at them. "I mean really!" His eyes went to his wife. "Winry?"

Winry looked like she was going to cry, or hit something. She shook her head. "I don't want to," she replied tightly. "Where were you last night, Edward?"

"I told you, I got caught up in a conversation!" Ed sighed. It was the truth! Okay, so he hadn't mentioned passing out but… He snatched the paper from Roy's hands. "Just what the hell are they accusing me of?" The pertinent details leapt off the page at him.

Countess Maron Daquel, wife of Count Fiero Daquel, was reported seen in the company of the Fullmetal Alchemist. They had left the party together and, according to sources – including some of her own servants – retired to the Daquel's city house and spent several hours in the Countess's bedroom before returning later that night. The Count was reported outraged, and wanting a full investigation made into this matter! "That bitch," Ed cursed to himself. "She never told me she was married."

Apparently, that hadn't been the right thing to say out loud. Winry gasped, and Ed cursed under his breath again.

"So you know the Countess Daquel?" Roy asked acerbically.

"We just talked!" Ed defended himself, though he felt rising panic and nausea. What was going on here? "I talked to a lot of people last night," he added pointedly.

"A lot of people aren't important, Elric," Roy snapped. "There's only one accusing you of public marital infidelity on foreign soil." He rubbed his head as if he had a serious headache. Given how pissed he was, he probably did. Good! Though Ed knew it was serious now when Roy reverted to using his last name.

"You can't believe a word of this!" Some friends! He was more worried about Winry though, who was still fuming. "I'm telling you, nothing happened! We talked about art!"

"For five hours," Riza replied in her usual straightforward tone that seemed to imply sarcasm without actually being so.

Ed shrugged helplessly. "An hour," he sighed. "I don't know what happened." He'd better come clean on the rest, or this was going to get worse fast. "Maybe it was the wine, but I passed out and woke up later…but it was in the gardens! The Countess was nowhere around when I came to, and I sure the hell never went to her house."

The confession did little to improve the mood in the room. "You have no memory of four hours of last evening's festivities, and you didn't think to tell anyone?" Roy was furious at him now!

"I was embarrassed," Ed admitted, scowling at Roy. The man was really pissing him off this morning. "I wasn't drunk, if that's what you're thinking. I really don't know what happened. We were talking, it was a little warm, and so we walked outside while we were talking. I passed out and woke up a bit later. That's the truth of it."

"So you can't provide anything substantial to disprove this either," Roy said.

"Damn it! You sound like you think I did it, Mustang!" Ed couldn't believe this was happening. His stomach flipped as he realized that this was the same newspaper Cretans were waking up to and reading all over the city. That news might even have spread beyond the city! International scandal indeed. If they didn't disprove it, his reputation, and that of Amestris, would be ruined politically in the eyes of Creta, and he didn't want to think how this would reflect on their lives back in Central. Bloody hell! "Why don't you just court martial me now and save your own skin?"

"He didn't say that, Edward," Riza replied, still scowling, but surprisingly calm. She sighed. "No, we don't think you slept with this woman. But without any solid alibi, it is going to be difficult to prove that, especially to the satisfaction of the Cretans involved."

Ed groaned and tossed the paper down on the table, finished reading it. The Countess had apparently confessed the infidelity to her husband in a fit of guilt, witnesses had confirmed it; they even claimed to have found long blonde hairs in the bed! And, of course, Creta was just 'full' of blonde men with long hair, he snorted silently. The lightest hair he had seen last night on any of the guests other than the Amestrians was a medium brown! "Why does this crap always happen to me?"

"You make a very convenient target," Roy quipped.

"That's enough," Riza glared at Roy.

Winry was still being abnormally quiet. Ed had expected some yelling or something by now. He was looking at her back from this angle, and all he could really tell was that she was shaking.

"Daddy!" Sara spotted him as she darted past the doorway and ran in, hugging his leg, oblivious to what was going on around her. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Ed swallowed, and patted her head with one hand, forcing a smile. "No thanks, pumpkin. Maybe later." He had completely lost his appetite.

It wasn't much later before Elias joined them. Ed accosted him immediately, explaining the details of the situation. "I swear, Elias. I never touched the woman!"

"I believe you, Edward," Elias sighed holding up a hand in a placating gesture. "The Daquel's are not fond of the current regime, so having them stir up trouble does not surprise me. What does is how they have chosen to do it."

Ed's relief was short lived. "So we can get this whole mess cleared up right?"

Elias did not look hopeful. "If we could prove that this was some kind of set-up, then yes. But they have witnesses, several, all claiming under official investigation to have seen you. I'm sure you've read all the details already. It was on the radio this morning as well."

"Damn it," Ed shook his head. He wanted to hit something, but he refrained. Nothing in the room was expendable.

"The police are coming over to ask you a few questions," Elias continued. "This wouldn't be such a travesty if Fiero wasn't making a stink. The Daquels are one of our most powerful families, so something like this happening with Maron herself could discredit them in the eyes of a lot of people. It's no wonder he's furious about the whole affair."

Ed winced at the word 'affair.' He had never, not once, been even remotely tempted by any woman other than Winry. Not since they had gotten married certainly! This was ridiculous! Well, when they came to question him, he would see about getting this whole mess cleared up.

Questioning did not go well. Ed chronicled his and Maron's entire conversation for them. They made him tell the same story again five times – something he had always hated – and each time they asked questions in different ways, trying to slip him up if there were any inconsistencies.

The problem was when they got to the part when he passed out.

"You attest that you were unconscious for the four and a half hours from the time you supposedly passed out, until the time you returned to the Dinner."

"Yes, officer," Ed sighed. He couldn't bother hiding his irritation at this point. "We were walking by the fountain with that half-horse chimera looking statue, the centaur, and I passed out."

"And you remember nothing else?"

Ed went to shake his head, when he paused, a flash of memory running through his mind. Then it was gone. "Maybe," he shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing. But I think I remember coming to once briefly"

"Well that would be useful," one of the officers quipped. "Did you see anything?"

"I heard voices, I think," Ed sighed, trying to convince them that he hadn't just had too much to drink, gone home with the woman, and passed out drunk on the way back! He knew that was what they were thinking. He wasn't sure he'd have believed this story himself! "I was tied up, and there was a painting."

"Can you describe it?"

"The famous one, so a reproduction maybe," Ed answered. "Of the Boy Who Flew Too Close To the Sun. I was out right after that."

Both of the officers scowled then, and stood. "I think that will cover enough for now, Mister Elric." They thanked Elias for his time and left abruptly.

When they were gone, Ed looked at Elias. "What did I say wrong?"

Elias looked confused, but clearly unhappy. "The original Boy is indeed in this city," he said. "It hangs in the home of the Count Daquel."

Well shit.

It was the middle of the afternoon before Ed got a moment alone with Winry. They had been bombarded all day with reporters at the doors wanting to come in. Of course, Elias had turned them all away, but none of the Amestrians had left the Argyros estate.

When he pulled away and fled to the privacy of their guest room, he found Winry there, having put Aldon down for a nap. She turned, startled when he closed the door behind him.

"Winry," Ed crossed the room, hoping to hold his wife for just a moment, if she didn't try and hit him. It was worth the risk! "We need to talk."

"Do we?" Winry asked. "I'd think you'd be tired of it by now."

Her words stung him, and he stopped dead. "I am," he admitted. "Those asses keep asking the same things over and over, and I've already told them the truth till I'm hoarse. But I wanted to make sure you're all right."

"Of course I'm not all right," Winry snapped, glaring at him. "An entire country now thinks my husband is a cheating low-life! How is this supposed to make me all right?"

Ed shrugged. She was right. "Point made." But from her tone, he actually felt a spark of hope. "So you don't believe it."

"Oh, of course not, Edward!" Winry tossed her hands in the air in exasperation. "If I honestly thought that you could be seduced so easily I'd never let you out of my sight."

"Good old ball and chain routine huh?" Ed chuckled weakly. "All I want to do right now is find out how the hell they're pulling this off," he admitted. "I can't imagine why the Countess is actually claiming we did anything more than talk at the party. I never left the place."

"Not conscious anyway," Winry commented.

That gave Ed pause. He really didn't know what had happened while he was out, and there had been that one fuzzy memory in the middle. Someone had taken him 'somewhere'…and Elias had provided him with where! "Winry, you're a genius!" he grabbed her up and kissed her before she could do more than squeal in protest. Then he eased up. "Come on, we've got to talk to Roy." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room while she was still too startled to argue.

Ed gathered them all in the sitting room again as soon as possible; only then did he explain his outburst. "The wine," he started, amazed he hadn't thought of this earlier. "Maron err, the Countess, informed me that it was one of the Daquel vintages. So," he looked around the room. "I didn't think of this earlier and I really should have, but the man pulled out a bottle to pour me a glass. It wasn't pre-poured."

"You think it was drugged," Riza caught on immediately.

Ed nodded. "Exactly. The room started to feel warm, and I passed out just about the time I finished the glass. It was slow acting enough that I didn't really notice anything unusual." He knew of half a dozen substances that could have been used to do that easily enough, four of which he wouldn't have tasted mixed in wine.

"So what rules out the possibility that you and Maron were… intimately involved, and you just don't remember it," Roy suggested, earning a sharp elbow from his wife.

"I'm a hero, not a god," Ed crossed his arms and glared at the other man.

"Could have fooled me." Roy's wit was wearing thin today.

Ed pushed through. "If my memory hasn't failed me completely, and it's not usually wrong, than when I did come to for that brief moment, I was bound, and fully clothed. Last I checked, most people don't drag foreign Generals bound and gagged away from parties and then dump them back at the same party a few hours later."

"Not really a kidnapping," Riza agreed. At least 'one' Mustang could take him seriously!

"Maybe they wanted to gather enough evidence about you to make it believable," Winry suggested. "If they actually took you to the Daquel mansion, than plenty of people would have seen you going and coming. If they just thought you looked really drunk, no one would think twice about it. As you said, who does things that way?"

His wife was more than a genius! "It explains the hairs too." All they'd have had to do was take a few while he was unconscious. They could have even used his hand to leave appropriate fingerprints and who only knew what else. "What we still don't have is a solid motive."

"I would think," Roy said pointedly. "That if the Daquels are losing their influence, discrediting Argyros' government and ruining its relations with Amestris would be enough of a motive."

"And who wouldn't believe that the legendary Fullmetal Alchemist would be so easy to fall for that the Countess might have had a moment of weakness," Riza stated it so plainly that Ed winced. "Sorry, Edward, but remember, the people here don't know you at all."

"I do however," Roy looked at him levelly. "So tell us, Ed, just what do you have in mind to get yourself out of this colossal mess?"

March 24th, 1931

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this, Fullmetal," Roy groused as they peered out from under a very thick hedge.

"I appealed to your sense of morbid curiosity," Ed smirked. "That and your desire to avoid an international incident."

"Isn't it a little late for that?"

"It's not over till that little song bird in there squeals and admits what's going on."

"Sweet talking there, Romeo. She'll be putty in your hands."

"Shut up, Mustang. You are such a walking cliché." Ed was watching the pattern of the guards, as he had done from this same spot the night before. Supposedly walled up in Elias's mansion for the past week avoiding the press, it hadn't been hard to temporarily dye his hair brown, borrow some local clothes, and slip out looking like a man running errands for the household. There were plenty of those, and Ed made it around the city with little trouble.

The fact that the house _had_ actual guards was suspicious enough in his mind, but what Ed really wanted was to pin Maron against a wall and make her confess to having made the whole thing up! If nothing else, he wanted to quiet the irrational, silly fear that fluttered inside him that wondered what else _had_ happened while he was unconscious.

The plan was simple; get inside, get Maron to confess, and get out. In the last few days, the political hotbed had exploded, and their 'vacation' stopped dead as Elias dealt with enraged politicians and nobles. Ed was so glad that Amestris didn't have blooded families like that messing around in government business!

He felt his pocket; resting assured that the small recording device Winry had tinkered with was still there. She had improved its quality, so Maron's voice should be crystal clear. Okay, so he was technically breaking and entering to do this, but if it cleared his name, he'd claim it as a military investigation!

Roy's job, much as he seemed to dislike it, was cover-man. No one would expect the President of Amestris to be out here tonight, and that meant as long as nothing blew up spouting flame, that didn't normally, they should be fine!

Ed figured he had one card to play that was his ace; Maron had no way of knowing he had already figured out a lot of what was going on; that he was pretty sure she had dragged him in here; or had him dragged, planted a little evidence – an appropriate auto-mail screw had been located under the bed after the first incident and reported in the next day's paper then investigated, and one of Ed's was found missing –and then returned him so that no one could have 'found him' too early to make the story plausible.

The guards moved away from the corner of the house. "Let's go," he motioned to Roy than dashed quietly across the manicured lawn to the windows on the lower level of the house and yanked open one into a room that had gone recently dark but should be empty. He flipped up easily through the window, and waited until Roy followed him through, then he closed the window again immediately.

"It's disturbing how efficient you are at housebreaking," Roy commented softly in the darkness as they made their way through a sitting room to the door.

"Years of practice done in the name of the state," Ed countered. Okay, so a lot of it had been in search of the Philosopher's Stone, but since Roy had been using him, Ed considered it the same thing!

As the Daquel mansion was also a historical treasure of Creta, like so many ancestral homes, there were actually books about it – how convenient! And one had included full layouts of the building and how it had been expanded over the years. Ed had snagged one at a bookstore the day before, and he and Roy had poured over it. They should be in the private wing now, just down the hall from the infamous bedroom in question. Fiero should be at the capitol building, since Ed knew Elias had a session going late tonight with one of the committees the man was on, so finding Maron alone shouldn't be too difficult.

It was after dinner Ed's stomach reminded him, growling in protest, but Ed ignored it for now. He'd eat when he was cleared!

"Hey Roy, got a light?"

"I didn't think you smoked, Fullmetal."

"Light something, ass," Ed retorted.

They moved through the sitting room into a study beyond that held a desk, maps, and plenty of other work related items that obviously belonged to Fiero Daquel. They extinguished the light then. The doors to the study were conveniently made of glass, curtained though, with thick white muslin, giving a more open feeling. In the dark, they just made a fantastic window into the rest of the house without anyone looking in being able to see them! Ed crouched next to one door, peering through the curtain into the hallway beyond.

It was time to wait. While Ed crouched there, Roy began rifling through paperwork – gloves on – on Fiero's desk, carefully putting things back exactly as he had found them as he went. Ed didn't have to ask why. There was a good chance of finding incriminating evidence in a man's private study. They didn't have to take any of it with them, just convince the police to search the place if they found evidence of something underhanded. Ed would be perfectly happy if they got these people on something as lame as tax evasion! It would do something to heal his wounded pride.

About fifteen minutes into their stake-out, Ed saw Maron coming down the hall. She walked past the door without a second glance.

Time for a stage-quality performance! Ed took a deep breath, flipped the switch on the recorder, slowly opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. "Hello, Maron."

The Countess Daquel turned around, startled. She obviously hadn't recognized him right off, since he still had his hair disguised, but she did only moments later. "Edward! What are you doing here?"

"You offered to show me your art collection sometime," Ed smiled casually. "I thought I'd take you up on the invitation and stop by."

"You shouldn't be here tonight," Maron countered. "Fiero will be furious if he comes home and finds you here."

"Well who could blame him for being jealous," Ed chuckled. "After all, he seems rather possessive of you; especially with everything going on lately. Are the guards to keep people out, or to keep you in?"

That made Maron's eyes flash. "Fiero loves me, and I love him."

"Then why all the fuss?" Ed asked, stepping closer until they were only a couple of feet apart. It put their faces very close. "What can you hope to accomplish, Maron? Why don't you just come out and tell the world the truth, the whole truth, about us?" He laid one hand suggestively on her arm.

"You insolent pig!" Maron slapped his hand away. "There is no _us!_ There never was!" She'd lost her temper, and Ed knew that he was good to go.

"Funny," Ed grinned calmly. "That's not what it says in the papers."

"So are you here to take advantage of a little free press then?" Maron asked. "Thinking that if I had already confessed to the crime, you might as well reap the benefits!"

"Something like that."

"A great hero they call you," Maron sneered at him. "But really you're just a man aren't you. Not even a whole one at that!"

"Auto-mail doesn't make me any less human," Ed replied, shaking his head. He wasn't angered by the retort. Really, he didn't care what she thought at this point. "I'll bet you can't even tell the difference between my auto-mail limbs and my real ones can you?" He was wearing long sleeves, long pants, and his gloves. Nothing was showing.

Maron looked frustrated. "Of course not; you have them covered! How should I know which ones are real?"

Ed smirked then. "The same way my wife does."

At that, Maron's face flushed and she grew even angrier. "I wouldn't touch you for all the gold in Creta! The very idea of fake limbs disgusts me."

Ed sighed. "Then I guess I misread your intentions, Countess. My apologies. I will assume your invitation then was only meant to be polite. I'll show myself out."

"Just don't tell anyone you were here," Maron replied urgently.

"Down here!" Ed heard someone say from behind him down the hall, and he knew that time had run out. Someone had probably found their entrance point. It had been hard to disguise, not wanting to use alchemy because it might give them away.

"Good bye, Countess," he smirked, waving at her with a jaunty hand and then darting back into the study as a bullet whizzed past his ear. "Let's go!" he snagged at Roy's jacket as he darted past. "Company's coming!"

Roy followed, and the two of them hurried back to the other room and leapt back out the window they had come in from and ran with all the speed they possessed! However, they didn't go out the way they came in, instead cutting around the other side of the building immediately, and taking a tree up to the height of the fence and leaping over, bullets winging past them the whole way!

As Ed fell down past the fence, something yanked painfully at his head, and he found himself hanging off the edge, clinging. "Oww! What the hell?" He tried to wrench his head free as Roy turned around, cursing.

Ed's hair was tangled in the barbed wire.

Roy snapped his fingers, and Ed squeaked as he smelled hair burning, felt something singe, and fell to the ground with a thud. "Gee thanks," he grimaced as he scrambled to his feet and they took off running again.

On the street, they ducked into an alley-way, and immediately transmuted their borrowed clothes into something else; brighter colors, more visible; obviously not something anyone trying to sneak would be caught in.

"What happened to cover me?!" Ed panted as they strolled down one of the busiest streets in Creta, looking casual. It was time to blend in and vanish!

"I'm not the one with bullet proof limbs!" Roy retorted.

"How bad's my hair?" Ed asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Overcooked," Roy replied.

They didn't speak again until they got back to Elias's mansion.

"Oh hold still you baby," Winry sighed above him as Ed 'sat' perfectly still! He didn't want an ear snipped off! "I'm almost done." Roy's quick save to get Ed down had done its job, but it had also done quite the number on Ed's hair! More than half of it had been gone completely, and a good portion singed enough that it might as well be.

"Remind me to thank you for saving my life someday, Mustang," he commented sarcastically.

"Relax Ed," Roy retorted from the chair across from him. "One would think you'd just been emasculated."

"I said don't move, Ed!" Winry scowled when he twitched. "There!" she said a moment later, sounding satisfied. "I think it's actually very becoming." She handed him a hand mirror.

Ed grimaced. His hair! It hadn't been short since he'd grown it out while recovering from auto-mail surgery when he was eleven, and now, it was actually a little shorter than it had been then. What made it worse though, was how short the front was; it was shorter than Mustang's! "I don't look like me!"

"It's quite the improvement."

"Oh leave him alone, Roy," Riza sighed. "You are the one who decided the best way to get him down was to burn it."

"I'll bet he's secretly wanted to do that for years," Ed groused, then sighed. It wasn't that it didn't look nice, it was just that it was too well, clean cut for him! Hell, it was a little shorter than Al's hair!

Winry patted his cheek. "It'll grow out again, Edward. I'm just glad you're safe." Ever since hearing the tape, Winry had been in a much better mood than the one she had been in for the last week. Ed was grateful!

"Me too," Ed agreed reluctantly. "But it's going to take some getting used to."

"That's all right. We should get a portrait done of you like that in dress uniform," Winry teased. "Then at least they'll be able to have one respectable shot of you to hang in the annals of military history."

"I'd rather have my hair," Ed said.

"We could glue a cat on your head," Roy replied.

"Roy!" Riza barked.

March 25th, 1931

"Are you sure you want to do this, Edward?" Elias asked one last time as they strode into the Creta capitol's Justice building. He was followed by Roy, Riza, and Winry. The children were back at the mansion. This was not something to which Ed wanted them exposed! Especially not Sara, who was the only one old enough to even really understand that something serious was going on; it was not something Ed wanted to explain to his daughter!

"Defend my honor and clear my name?" Ed asked sharply. "You'd better believe it."

"But without a lawyer?" Elias looked perplexed, glancing at Roy for assistance.

Roy shrugged. "He's good at this kind of thing."

It wasn't really a criminal trial. Ed hadn't committed a crime against the State, but if Fiero wanted personal compensation for this, he was out for it. Ed hadn't even met the man at the dinner, and he already disliked him. He and Roy had found some interesting information on that man's desk that they had been happy to inform Elias about. There was plenty enough to call for an investigation on suspicion of embezzling from the government. But that would be resolved later. Ed's reasons for this were much more personal!

They entered the courtroom; for the first time all week they were in the same place. Ed noticed Maron sitting next to her husband. She glared at him and looked away. Ed tried not to look smug.

He tried to pay attention to the early part of the proceedings, but it was fairly dull. There was some recitation of law, the legal adjudicator presiding entered, and the case was presented in summary, including the findings of the investigators who had searched the Daquels' bedroom.

Then there were live testimonies given that made Ed want to squirm. It seemed like half the Daquel household said they had seen Ed in the house and several in the bedroom specifically.

It didn't look good!

But Ed was not about to be deterred. Finally his turn came.

"General Edward Elric. Would you please come up and give testimony."

Ed swore in and sat down. He went over the same statements he had given – ad nauseam – previously. No one looked impressed, especially not when he got to the part about being unconscious, and then the brief experience in the middle. All it did, in most minds, was probably prove he had been in Maron's bedroom.

"Is there anything further you wish to add," the question came.

At that, Ed nodded. "There is," he replied. "Last night, I gave the police some evidence of my own. I believe it was brought to the court?"

"It was," the adjudicator confirmed. "Please play it now," he gestured to a bailiff, who stepped to the side.

A few moments later, the recording began to play, and Ed's voice could be clearly distinguished, as could Maron's. Ed watched the woman in question as her face went from quietly still to furious. Then, he smiled at her.

They listened as she insisted there had never been anything between them, and admitted that she thought his automail unattractive, and couldn't say which limb was which – since she had obviously never seen them. She hadn't even tried to guess.

When it was done, the room was deathly quiet. Ed was feeling nervous; he would feel smug later! He'd used this trick before in other forms. He'd have figured people would be used to it by now. It was hardly original!

Both of the Daquels looked like they were ready to spit teeth! For all that Fiero had put this forward as an affront to him, Ed would have thought a man would be happy to have evidence that his wife had not slept with another man!

"That's all I have, Sir," Ed smirked. "Unless the Countess has something else she would like to add to her testimony."

"You broke into my house!" Fiero Daquel stood up, glaring.

"I was invited," Ed replied easily. "And as you heard for yourself, I left when asked. I thought you'd be happy to know how faithful your wife is to you, Count Daquel."

It was at that moment the Count realized he had been out-maneuvered. He grumbled, and sat down again. "I am convinced," he said then.

The rest of the session went quickly and smoothly. When it was over, the entire thing was dismissed, Ed's name cleared.

March 27th, 1931

"I think I like today's headlines a lot better," Ed chuckled over breakfast two mornings later. He was looking across the table at the front of the paper that Roy had open. Today's story was a rather nice apology to the Fullmetal Alchemist from the media of Creta! There had been phone calls off the hook the day before, and Ed had been magnanimous enough to give an interview, assuring the people of Creta that he did not hold the Cretan government in any way responsible for what had happened, and was grateful that their legal system had dealt with the matter so effectively!

"You certainly spread it on thick yesterday," Roy commented, his voice droll as he flipped to the next page. "This is quite a long interview."

Ed shrugged, refilling his plate. Now that his name was cleared and the worry gone, his appetite was back in force! "Hey, I gave them what they wanted, and what we needed didn't I? Or did you not like the part about Amestris looking forward to working with Argyros' government to form a long-lasting relationship that would benefit the economies of both countries by encouraging equal import and export and cultural exchange?"

"I thought I was the politician here," Roy grumbled. "It's my country."

"People will believe it more coming from Edward," Riza actually smiled at her husband as she tried to get little Maes to eat his cereal. "Everyone's figured out that he's not a politician."

"I thought it was delightful the part where you so politely apologized to the Daquel family for the inconvenience this had caused them, and that you hoped whoever was responsible was brought to justice," Winry chuckled as she sat down, kissing Ed on the cheek. "You know, I really like this look. I could get used to it."

Ed started to panic. "You don't really, do you?"

"Perhaps I should start clamping down on hair regulations in the military ranks," Roy chuckled from behind his paper.

"This isn't fair!" Ed groaned. "Everyone's ganging up on me lately!"

Sara looked up from her food, confused. "Daddy. Why 'did' you cut your hair?"

"AAAAGH!"

June 5th, 1931

When they got off the train in Central, Alphonse and Elicia were both there to meet them.

"The news has been buzzing," Elicia laughed as Winry handed Sara down to Al and carried Aldon down herself. She was followed immediately by Riza carrying Maes, then Roy and Ed. Their 'security detail' came behind them with the luggage! "What happened to you in Creta?"

"It was interesting," Winry replied diplomatically.

"It's a long story," Roy sighed. "Let's just say it's going to be a long time before I decide to try and take a vacation with Fullmetal again. I'd have gotten more relaxation staying at home and cat napping on the artillery range!"

"Brother!" Al gasped as Ed stepped down onto the platform and out of the train. "Your hair!"

"Blame Mustang," Ed replied, running his hand self-consciously over his head. "You're a much better back-up in a pinch, Al."

"You'll have to give me the full story later," Al laughed, still eyeing Ed curiously. "It looks good on you."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Will people stop saying that?!"


End file.
